Camden New Journal

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 20 September 2007

Stop using these throw-away shopping bags?

• MORE and more people are expressing their frustration at the lack of progress in tackling the mountain of plastic shopping bags that surround us.
As part of its plans for the tenth London Local Authorities Bill, London Councils, the body representing all of London’s boroughs, is now proposing to introduce a London-wide ban, or levy, on throw-away shopping bags. Before the proposals are finalised and the bill deposited in November, it is keen to hear from Londoners what they think about the range of options, ranging from doing nothing to a levy, or an outright ban either on all throw away shopping bags, or just for plastic ones.
Can I urge readers to respond to the consultation which runs until Friday October 26.
To take part, please visit: www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/ thebigquestion. On average we each use roughly 220 bags per person every year. While some get reused once or twice, only one in 200 of these are recycled, meaning that billions of shopping bags are sent to landfill every year, landfill that in London is increasingly scarce and expensive.
Many of these are plastic bags that can take over 400 years to break down.
Of course, retailers are starting to encourage people with lifetime bags and such like, but it’s hardly the scale of change we need.
Introducing a levy on plastic bags should help consumers think twice, but if people feel strongly enough to want an outright ban on free throw away bags, then that is what London Councils will lobby for in the bill.
CLLR ANDREW MARSHALL
Deputy Leader Camden Council

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment: